Eaton grew up and played high school baseball at Kenton Ridge High School in Springfield, Ohio, before eventually making his way to the big leagues. He went on to play at Miami University in Ohio, just more than an hour's drive from Springfield, after graduating from high school in 2007. It's those high school days that earned him induction. He played for a pair of teams that finished runner-up in the region.

The Sox acquired Eaton from the Arizona Diamondbacks in a three-team trade that sent Hector Santiago to the Los Angeles Angels. Eaton batted .254 with a .332 on-base percentage in 88 games over the past two seasons in Arizona.